Just A Good Story
by Peeta Melark
Summary: Percy Jackson dies in the battle against Gaea. In the Underworld, he sees Nico di Angelo. They talk and some secrets are revealed. If you would be so kind as to read and give feedback, I would be incredibly happy.
1. Chapter 1

Percy fell back into the water. It took him in its arms and let him sink. For the first time, he couldn't feel it healing him. He didn't want it to. He had to die to save his friends. It was his time. Even his father couldn't argue with that, couldn't _change_ it. Percy could feel his life slipping away as his blood seeped into the ocean. Curious fish and sharks gathered around. Percy could hear their sad murmurs. _The son of Poseidon is passing,_ they whispered. _He will go to Elysium. _Percy didn't want to go to Elysium. He wanted to go home. He imagined then that he was five years old again, nestled in his mother's arms, safe and warm. He imagined there was a storm raging outside, and he imagined, too, that he was scared. He listened to his mother's soothing, gentle voice. She sang him a lullaby, soft and sweet, her voice neither good nor bad. A strange tranquility washed over his mind, calming the raging tide of his thoughts. He imagined his mother was leaning over him now, placing him gently in his grave, crying silently. A smile touched her lips, only there because she knew Percy was safe. The thought of his mother smiling made him feel better. Of course, Percy never intended his mother to dig his grave. He just didn't want a stranger to do it out of necessity.

Annabeth… Percy imagined her, too. She stood over him in the water, smiling as she teased him, _laughed_ at him. _You always _were_ a Seaweed Brain. When will you learn to stay out of trouble until I'm there to save you?_ He wanted to kiss her one last time, for she was the other part of his soul. Without her, he knew he would never truly live, and now he would not truly die. Part of him would live with her and part of her would die with him. A smile ghosted across his face. Annabeth would go on with her life. He knew that. She would smile and laugh again someday, even if that day was farther off than he would like. She would fall in love again, too. She would meet a boy who reminded her of Percy, and she would feel guilty at first. But she would realize that this new boy _wasn't_ Percy, and she would feel better and worse for it. They would fall in love and get married. Annabeth would love him for him, not for the boy she had lost in the war against Gaea. They would have children together, and one of them would be called Perseus—Percy—Chase-Whatever. He couldn't see Annabeth giving up her last name. He hoped she would learn to be happy without him.

Percy could see Thalia there, too. She stood over his body as it lay on the funeral pyre, wiping tears from her face with a vigor that was almost frightening. She muttered vehemently about how she would kill Percy if he ever came back. She told him about Annabeth, and how upset she was. She reminded him that she had made him promise not to hurt her. She would remind him that he had failed. Annabeth was hurting. Thalia would make sure he knew that. Then she would wipe away another tear and tell him she had already lost one brother… She couldn't lose another. Then the dam would break. Thalia would fall to her knees and sob, screaming angrily that she hated immortality… It meant she would lose everyone she ever loved. Thalia would stand up, brushing off her clothes. She would turn around and leave, determined not to look back.

When Percy saw Nico di Angelo, he thought the son of Hades was another figment of his imagination. But Nico just shook his head and frowned, which was something too real for Percy to have imagined it. Slowly, he realized he was no longer in the water. He was standing in a vast, grey field, surrounded by black trees and dead, grey grass. Nico di Angelo stood before him, his face a mask.

"Hello, Percy," he said.

"Hello."

"You know why you're here, I assume?" It was hardly a question worth asking, but Percy guessed it was customary. He nodded.

"I'm dead."

"To put it so bluntly, yes," said Nico di Angelo, his tone full of venom. "You're dead, and, in a few minutes, our friends will find your body. Annabeth will be devastated, and your mother… I don't think she'll ever really recover. Losing your only child… Not a happy thought."

Percy's head spun. "Nico… Why are you doing this?" he asked. His heart felt like it was being twisted in two, but Nico made no sign of ceasing his taunts.

"Are you _really_ that blind?" he spat. His eyes were almost glowing with hate. Percy couldn't tell if Nico hated _him_ or _himself_. "I'm doing this because nothing's right in this world. I'm doing this because I want someone else to know what it's like for a change! I'm doing this because I'm sick of hiding in the shadows, alone and afraid, waiting for some dashing hero to save me. Well, I'm no damsel in distress. No hero will save me. I guess I have to save myself."

"What are you _talking_ about?" Percy cried, though part of him already knew. He could sense Nico's bitterness, and he could sense that not all of it was for him. Nico laughed.

"You really _are_ as stupid as everyone thought," he murmured. "How do you think I knew where Camp Jupiter was? How do you think I got out of that jar _alive_? Do you think it was a coincidence that Gaea attacked before we were ready for her? Before _you_ were, anyways. But did you _honestly_ think it was all just luck—good or bad?"

"You…" Percy could barely wrap his head around what Nico was saying, even though the truth was staring him in the face. The son of Hades held out his hand, tapping his silver skull ring three times. It began to morph, shifting and changing until the skull had become the Earth. The silver faded away to reveal green. Nico grinned.

"Me," he said. "How do you think the water didn't heal you?"

"I was… I was dying!" Percy stammered. He wanted to believe that. Nico shook his head and took a few steps forward. In a single motion, he snapped Percy's camp necklace and showed him the beads. There was an extra one, black as night, dotted with blood red stars. Percy felt sick.

"You see," Nico smiled. "I have a few tricks of my own. After you 'rescued' me from the jar, I made a paint of the pomegranates I had left. Gaea made the bead and I made the stars. Earth and Sea don't really mix, you know, and Death just makes it worse. There was no _way_ you could have survived."

"Why did you do this?" Percy asked again, his voice stronger, angrier.

"Because I was in love once," Nico said simply. "I'm not anymore, but I spent years fretting over someone I couldn't have."

"Annabeth? You could have told me you liked her. I wouldn't have been mad. We could have talked it out, found someone else for you."

"IT WASN'T ANNABETH!" Nico screamed. "It was you, Percy. See? You treated me like a little kid, like I couldn't do a damn thing! I'm so tired of it! All of you did, you know. You treated me like a traitor already, so what was the harm in _being_ one."

"Then it wasn't because you were in love?"

"No. I'm a liar, Percy, but I didn't expect you to fall for that one so easily. It wasn't _all_ because I was in love. Don't flatter yourself _that_ much. Part of it was because I was sick of people questioning my loyalties. It was nice knowing they were right without even realizing it."

"They won't let you get away with this," Percy promised. Nico laughed coldly.

"If only _that_ were true," he mused. "But I'm afraid I have a powerful ally among them. It was too easy getting Jason Grace on my side. All I had to do was shed a few tears. Eros was most helpful in staging _that_ little scene. Jason wants to help me, you know. Poor Nico di Angelo, ashamed and alone. If he only knew… I stopped hating myself while I was in that jar."

"You're lying again," Percy said. Nico looked startled. It was true. Percy could see it in his eyes. Nico di Angelo had _never_ stopped hating himself, and he probably never would. Percy felt sorry for him.

"I thought I told you… I'm a liar."

Percy took a step forward. "Nico, it doesn't have to be like this," he said, remembering the times he'd said it to Luke in the first war. For a moment, he wasn't looking at Nico anymore.

"Please," he begged. "Don't do this to us. I'm dead, but you aren't. Please… Nico, if you won't live for yourself, then live for me. Take care of Annabeth for me. And… Hazel."

Nico's eyes narrowed. "She's fine on her own."

"You and I both know that's not true," Percy insisted, gaining confidence. "She needs you, Nico. Go back there. Save the day. Fight for me and help them win the battle. Help Hazel if you won't help me."

Shadows gathered around the son of Hades. He disappeared with one last warning. "Leave me alone."

~O~O~O~O~

Days later, Percy found himself face to face with an old friend. Frank Zhang sat miserably on a log, turning his burnt piece of firewood in his hands. Percy sat down next to him.

"Hey," he said. Frank didn't look up.

"Hey."

"What happened? Did we… win?"

Frank nodded glumly. "Yeah. We won."

Hope glimmered in the back of Percy's mind, the bottom of his heart. He pushed it away and asked, "How?"

"Nico." Frank's face was etched with lines of misery and pain. "He… he showed up at the last minute… He was with Gaea's army, Percy."

"I know. How did you win?"

Frank looked Percy in the eye. "He turned on them. He looked at Hazel's face, and she was crying. He looked at… each of us. His hand was on his sword and he was shaking. Then he turned on Gaea and started screaming commands. The army of the dead turned on her, too. They all charged at once. And… oh gods… Nico was radiating dark energy. I was terrified. But we joined him in the fight. We charged. I… Somewhere in the fray… Leo burst into flames and I dropped my stick."

Percy frowned. "I thought it was…"

"Nico switched them out, I guess."

"He told you guys about…?"

"Before he joined us, yeah. He taunted us. The things he said to Hazel made me want to wring his neck." Frank stared at his hands. "I guess I can't do that now."

Percy shrugged. "Where's Nico now?"

"They all treated him like a hero. Everyone loves a good redemption story." With a sigh, Frank shook his head. His expression was grim. "But what if that's all it is?"

"A good story," Percy agreed. He hadn't wanted to think that, but Frank was right. Nico's redemption story was very likely just that. A story. A good one, but that didn't make it true. For all they knew, Nico di Angelo could be planning something much bigger than raising Gaea. Percy didn't know if he wanted to find out.

**A/N: Just an idea I wanted to try… I don't know if this will have multiple chapters. It's just the one for now, though. **

**If you can't tell, I was listening to "Three Queens," by Heather Dale as I wrote the beginning. It's a great song, for those who don't know it, about King Arthur's journey to Avalon (I think).  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Thalia stood in the amphitheater, staring into the flames of Percy's funeral pyre. Her head ached, and so did her heart. She cursed herself for crying over a stupid_ boy_, but this one was like her brother. Percy Jackson, as dumb as he could be sometimes, was like a brother to Thalia. She would have laid down her life for him in an instant.

"Are you all right?" Nico di Angelo's voice broke through the silence. Thalia didn't need to turn to know he was standing a few yards behind her, looking on with worried shadows in his eyes. She knew he would have his silver skull ring on his hand, just like always, his Stygian blade at his side. His hair would be messy, his face pale and gaunt. And something would be wrong about him… something Thalia couldn't quite place. But there was something else, too. He was all she had left. He was all she had left of her friend Bianca, Nico's sister. More than that, he was all she had left now that Percy was gone.

Turning to face him, she whispered, "I'm fine."

"No you're not," Nico said, coming forward to stand right in front of her, only a few feet away. "You need sleep."

Thalia wanted to turn back to the pyre, to watch her friend's body burn to ash. But she knew she couldn't bear the sight now that she had already looked away. Nico was right. She needed lots of sleep. She needed time alone, to heal, to gather her last scraps of dignity. She wouldn't go back to the Hunt immediately. Anyone who had lost a brother would have done the same. No… She would help Annabeth first, because Annabeth was also all she had. Perhaps Annabeth was the only thing she had ever had… And she'd never really had her at all. The thought would have made Thalia sad a year ago, but it left her numb on that cold, rainy summer night. She wondered if anyone else could feel that cold.

"I'm sorry, Nico," she said. "If you're looking for human company, I'm afraid I'm no good for that tonight. I… I can't…"

Nico put his hand on her shoulder, which Thalia thought was odd. Nico _never_ touched anyone—not if he didn't have to.

"Are _you_ all right?" she asked him. "You seem… friendly."

Pulling his hand away, Nico muttered, "I'm just a bit shaken up. And you're like a sister to me. I trust you."

Thalia wished she could believe herself when she said, "And I you," but something wasn't right. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was right there. Making some excuse, she left him in the amphitheater and hurried towards her cabin in the pouring rain. Cabin One had never seemed empty before, but walking in then made it seem like a cavern. The statue of Zeus was cold and threatening, mocking her for even _thinking_ happiness could last. She felt sick and tired, desperate to sleep, even though her dreams would all be nightmares.

A knock on the door snapped Thalia from her reverie. Annabeth's voice called out from behind it. She sounded worn out, as if she'd witnessed a thousand years of pain. There was something heartbreakingly childish in her voice, too. Thalia opened the door. Annabeth stood on the doorstep, tears running down her face. She was quietly broken, her posture defeated, her eyes filled with misery. Thalia wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into the cabin. The daughter of Athena was soaked to the bone, her clothes clinging to her, curls of blonde hair stuck to her face. Thalia grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her friend, sitting her down on the bed.

"I'm getting you some warm clothes," she said. "And… you can stay the night. I'm sure… I'm sure Dad wouldn't mind."

Annabeth nodded emptily. Thalia couldn't tell if she'd really heard her or not. Still, she busied herself getting blankets and clothes for her friend, helping her out of her wet clothes and into the dry ones. Finally, Annabeth stopped shivering, but she pulled the blankets closer and pulled her knees up to her chest. Her breathing was shallow.

"Annabeth, are you in there?" Thalia called, sitting down next to her friend. Annabeth barely looked up, but she nodded. "Good. Can you talk to me?"

Annabeth shook her head. Thalia reached for her hands, trying to warm them between her own. They were cold as ice, trembling. The nails were bitten to the point of drawing blood. Annabeth was a mess.

"Come here," Thalia said assertively, extending her arms to Annabeth, who crawled into them like a small, frightened child. Sobs ripped through her body, and Thalia could almost forget that Annabeth was older—and taller—than she would ever be. She ran her hands through her friend's beautiful hair, letting each curl slip through her fingers before she picked up another one. Slowly, as if from a dream, Annabeth seemed to wake up.

"Thank you," she whispered quietly, brokenly. Thalia shushed her.

"You need rest."

Annabeth shook her head violently. "I don't think I can."

"I'll sleep next to you," Thalia offered, making it as much of a statement as she could. Annabeth nodded, allowing Thalia to help her into bed. As she lay down next to her, she realized she, too, was trembling. Percy's loss had finally hit her, even though she'd felt it before. Having Annabeth there made it final. Percy was really gone. If he were alive, Annabeth would probably be celebrating their victory with him, eating blue cupcakes and pushing each other into the water. Instead, she was curled up in Thalia's bed, clinging to her like a lost little girl, sobbing. The thought made Thalia incredibly sad.

As Annabeth wrapped her arms around Thalia, she whispered, "I can't believe he's gone."

Thalia nodded. "I know, love," she said. "But it'll get better."

"How do you know that?" Annabeth sounded dead.

"Because it can't get any worse."

"Oh…" Annabeth yawned sleepily. "Goodnight, Thalia."

"Goodnight, Annabeth."

They fell asleep soon after that, arms around each other, Annabeth's face buried in Thalia's shoulder. Every so often, she would sob in her sleep and Thalia would wake up. It always took her a moment to remember what had happened, then she would feel guilty for forgetting. Sleep was her only respite from the crushing grief.

When she woke up in the morning, Thalia realized she had been crying in her sleep. Her pillow was damp, as was her face, and her eyes stung. She wiped them angrily, scowling. Annabeth was still asleep, whimpering softly. Thalia untangled herself from the blankets and made her way towards her closet. It was nearly empty, since Jason kept his clothes in a separate closet and she only owned enough to fill a couple of shelves. It was just easier, she thought, to pack light.

"Percy?" Annabeth's voice filtered through the silence, heavy with the sleep that still clung to her. "What're you doing up?"

Thalia found the courage to speak. "Annabeth," she said. "I'm not Percy."

"Where is he?" A long silence followed, almost too painful to listen to. Finally, Annabeth murmured, "Oh."

"Yeah."

Annabeth started to sob, curling up under the blankets again. Thalia felt sadness flood through her, a cold despair that sucked all the happiness from the world. Thalia wanted to cry, too, but she wouldn't upset Annabeth like that. She had to be strong. Later, of course, she could find her brother and cry on his shoulder. Jason was always there for her since they had found each other again.

"I want to go back to my cabin," Annabeth decided. "I can go alone."

She stood shakily and turned towards the door, still dressed in pajamas, her hair disheveled. She ran a hand through it.

"Thank you." She crossed the room and wrapped Thalia in a warm hug. Then she left, not even bothering to say goodbye.

Thalia must have sat alone in her cabin for the next half hour. Finally, she gathered herself together and went back to her closet, pulling on a black shirt, jeans, and silver parka. She looked in the mirror for a second, wondering who the hell the girl staring back at her was. She couldn't even recognize herself anymore. Eventually the sight became too much. Thalia turned and left the cabin.

When she did, she came face to face with the strangest sight. Nico di Angelo sat on a bench outside her cabin. Her brother Jason sat next to the son of Hades, patting his back soothingly. Nico sobbed, his head in his hands. He looked miserable, but Thalia wasn't so sure it was genuine. She felt almost sorry for thinking that. But then, as she started towards the dining pavilion, Nico looked up and their eyes locked. For a moment, his flashed red.

**A/N: Fine. You win. More chapters. I really like this story, but I think it's going to be pretty short. Like, eight chapters MAXIMUM. **

**Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Concerns? **


	3. Chapter 3

Something was wrong, though Piper wasn't quite sure what it was. There was something so _off_ about the way Thalia was acting… the way she wouldn't look at Nico for longer than she had to, and the way her eyes kept darting towards his, as if she expected them to change. She trembled when he looked or reached towards her, but she eyed him warily when he did not. She would not accept these small gestures of comfort, and that made Piper uncomfortable. She could sense the sincerity behind Thalia's fear, but she could not sense any behind Nico's comforting words, his kind, if somewhat forced smiles. But Nico di Angelo wasn't used to people, she reminded herself. It was only natural that he should be awkward. Still, something just wasn't right.

"Nico?" Piper called, catching up with him as they left the dining pavilion. Nico slowed and then stopped, looking back with a tired, pained expression.

"Hey," he said. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah. Just checking in, you know? Making sure everyone's all right."

Nico narrowed his eyes. "Annabeth's not. Why don't you check on her?" He was trying too hard to make the worry in his voice genuine. Piper frowned.

"I thought Thalia was doing that. Besides, I want to know if _you're_ okay." She tried to put some force into the words, and maybe the tiniest bit of charmspeak. She felt guilty as soon as Nico opened his mouth to answer.

"I'm…" He paused, struggling. "Fine. I miss him." Every word sounded like it was painful to choke out. Nico was fighting a smile. Now _that_ was weird. Piper wasn't so sure about feeling guilty anymore. In fact, she felt pretty good about charmspeaking him. Something was way wrong.

"Are you _sure_?"

"Yeah." There was still a trace of reluctance in his voice, but much less pronounced. He was either telling the truth or getting used to resisting charmspeak. Piper knew she could ask him anything and he would have to tell her. Maybe that was why she didn't ask.

"Sorry to bother you, then," she said. "I'll go check on the others now."

As she walked away, she heard the unmistakable footsteps of Jason behind her. She thought he might follow her all the way to the arena, but he stopped right about where Nico was. Piper didn't glance back, but a rout formed in her mind. She could see the safest path back to the dining pavilion, where she could hide behind a column without being seen. She followed that path unthinkingly and pressed her back to the column's cold marble, praying silently that she wouldn't be found. Sure enough, she could hear Nico's cold tenor voice, only occasionally interrupted by Jason's kind, quiet baritone. They were deep in conversation, and it made Piper uneasy.

"You know you could just—I don't know—_talk_ to them. They're good people, Nico. They'll understand."

"I'm not so sure," Nico murmured, barely audible. "You may be right about their character, but you're wrong about mine."

"What do you mean, Nico?"

"I'm not…" the son of Hades paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm not brave like you are, or honest like Piper. I'm not kind like Hazel or smart like Annabeth, and I'm _certainly_ not as funny as Leo."

"Don't say that about yourself. You're a great guy."

"Am I?" Piper looked over then and saw that Nico's eyes were glowing faintly red as he turned his gaze suddenly to Jason's. He smiled, almost coyly, and asked, "Do you _really_ think that?"

Jason's eyes flashed red for a moment and he nodded. "Of course I do. I was there with you when Cupid… Eros… whoever… forced you to, you know, confess. I _know_ you're a great guy."

"Then I suppose I can take that risk… that you're my friend."

Jason put his hand on Nico's shoulder. Piper wanted to scream at him to get away. She wanted to hurl herself at Jason and break the thrall. She could sense that it was a thrall, too, even if she wasn't a daughter of Hecate. This was some kind of glamour magic. Piper was sure of it. She could feel power emanating from Nico… No. It was coming from a necklace around his neck. It looked like a camp necklace, but it was strung with red and black beads. That wasn't just magic, Piper realized. It was ancient, _dark_ magic. Nico di Angelo was using an evil spell on her boyfriend, maybe even _controlling _him.

"That son of a gun," she whispered. "I'm going to wring his neck."

Piper watched in stunned silence as Nico lowered his eyes to the floor, his face taking on a perfect look of timidity. He sighed slightly, running a hand through his messy black hair.

"There's… I… I should go." He turned to leave and Jason didn't stop him. Of course, as he came towards her column, Piper did.

"What the hell, di Angelo?" she hissed, trying to keep her voice quiet. Nico looked just the right amount baffled.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Is something wrong?" He was too cool and collected.

"Yeah. You're using an evil love spell on Jason, and I want to know _why_."

Nico laughed then, the sound high and cold. "It's not _love_ magic, Piper. It's just a little something to make people believe me. Do you understand?"

Piper's head felt foggy. She wasn't sure if she should nod or shake her head, or maybe she should get Chiron. She nodded, almost trying to shake the feeling away, but the clouds wouldn't budge. She didn't know if she could charmspeak or not.

"Nico, stop," she managed to say. "I'm going to scream."

"Then scream," Nico said. "If you can."

Piper tried. The sound stuck halfway and all she could manage was to throw her arms in the air in exasperation. Whatever was happening was definitely _not_ just to make people believe Nico. He was powerful, even beyond the gifts of a son of Hades. Mind manipulation was not in Hades' domain. If Nico could control people's minds, then someone was helping him. Someone powerful and dangerous.

"Nico," Piper said softly. "There's a chance to change this. Please…"

She never got to finish. Nico drew a knife and cut her throat before she could. As the world went dark, she prayed someone would find the truth before it was too late.

**A/N: Sorry I've been away for so long. I just had an extreme case of writer's block. But I'm back. **


	4. Chapter 4

Annabeth found Piper in a pool of blood, her throat slashed through. As she knelt on the ground next to her friend, dismay sank into Annabeth's stomach. She felt sick, like the world was crumbling in around her and all that was left was the stench of blood and the sharp, bitter taste of disenchantment. Piper lay dying at her feet, and Annabeth didn't know who was responsible. There was no sign of a struggle, and the daughter of Aphrodite had made no move to draw her dagger. But how was this possible? Piper would have drawn her dagger at the first sign of danger. She wouldn't have left it in her belt, untouched and ignored. She had trusted whoever had killed her just enough, it seemed. She hadn't expected them to kill her.

"Piper?" Annabeth pulled a thermos of nectar from her bag and dribbled some into Piper's mouth. "Someone help us!" she yelled. "Anyone! Please! We need to get her to the infirmary!"

At the sound of her voice, Jason, Percy, Leo, Frank, and Hazel came running. Leo nearly gagged when he saw Piper, smelled the blood in the air. But he managed to keep his lunch down as Frank went to scoop her up in his arms. Jason didn't move, which Annabeth thought was odd. He just stared at his girlfriend's limp body, a blank look on his face. Then he seemed to realize what was happening and a look of horror broke through.

"Piper!" he cried. "We have to get her to the infirmary."

"You're a few paces behind, Grace," Annabeth said. "We're on our way."

"Oh." Jason followed them miserably, his arms swinging at his sides. Something wasn't quite right about the way he walked, like he was moving through molasses, or maybe like he was dreaming. His concerned look wasn't quite convincing. Annabeth shivered, a sudden chill running up and down her spine.

The infirmary was empty except for a son of Apollo named Riley. Riley was training to be a healer or something like that, and he was supposedly the best in his cabin. He was also an excellent archer, from what Annabeth had heard. He was a sweet boy, too, with a mild temper and mild looks. He had honey-colored hair and friendly blue eyes, not to mention a smile that could challenge the sun—no offense intended, of course. As soon as he saw Piper, however, his eyes narrowed.

"This knife wasn't just any knife," he said, leaning over her on the hospital bed, his gloved fingers prodding gently at the wound. "It was made from… from…"

"What?" Annabeth asked impatiently. Riley shook his head.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "Usually the patient would be feverish or ice cold right now, but she's both. Look… There's sweat on her face and neck, but the skin is freezing. She must be fluctuating fever and cold very quickly. I'm not sure she's responding to the nectar either."

Annabeth cried out, doubling over in agony. It wasn't physical agony, but mental agony. She had lost Percy only days ago. She wouldn't lose anyone else. Not Piper, not Thalia, not anyone. She wasn't going to lose them. She _couldn't_ lose them.

"Hey." Riley's hand on her shoulder was surprisingly warm and comforting. "Why don't you stay here tonight, too? You're obviously not well, and I think Piper could use some company."

Tears dripping down her cheeks, Annabeth sniffled. "C-could I?"

Riley smiled. "Sure you could. Why don't you take that bed right across from hers? You'll be able to keep a good eye on her."

Annabeth nodded, too tired to argue. "Okay." She felt five years old again, and she let Riley treat her as such. He was a sweet guy, well suited to working in the infirmary.

"Good," he said. "Now let's see what I can do for Piper."

It was hours before Riley managed to make any progress. He claimed the blade was Stygian Iron, which could only be found in the Styx. Whoever Piper's attacker had been had ties in the Underworld, and maybe even friends. At this, Hazel gave a cry of indignation.

"If you're going to assume Nico or I did it, I want to stop you right there! First of all, _I_ use a golden sword. Second of all, my brother isn't like that. He would never hurt his friends."

Riley gave a brittle laugh. "I'm not accusing anyone," he said. "Your brother uses a _sword_. This wound comes from a dagger. Nico doesn't own any daggers, does he?"

"Just bronze ones. He never touches them." Hazel seemed a little tentative, unsure of herself. Riley took in her stricken appearance and smiled gently.

"I'm sure it's just an unhappy coincidence. I was just making sure," he added. Hazel sighed and leaned away from Piper's bed, rubbing her eyes. Frank put his arms around her, squeezing reassuringly as she leaned into his chest. Annabeth thought she saw tears running down the other girl's cheeks.

Jason sat down on the bed, careful not to jostle Piper. He picked up her hand and kissed it, whispering, "I'm sorry" into her knuckles. For a moment, she stirred, her eyes fluttering open.

"Jason…?" she wheezed. "You're not… You're okay?"

"Shhh!" Jason kissed her forehead softly. "I'm fine, I'm fine. But you're not. You're hurt, Piper. You're very hurt. Don't talk. Don't tire yourself out."

But Piper was a fighter. She forced her eyes open and met Annabeth's gaze.

"Find the angel," she said. "Find the angel and you will find the devil within."

For a moment, Annabeth was sure she would say more, but her eyes drooped shut and her head rolled to the side. Riley shooed Jason away, muttering charms in Ancient Greek as he applied poultices and healing herbs to the wound. Then he poured nectar into her mouth, making sure she swallowed without choking.

"You had all better go," he told the group. "We'll be fine here, Annabeth and I."

Reluctantly, their gathered friends left, grumbling goodbyes and thanks. As soon as they were gone, Riley whirled on Annabeth, pulling off his gloves and throwing them into a trashcan.

"What do you know?" he asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. "Is Nico di Angelo a suspect?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I… I don't know!" she said. "You said he wasn't!"

"I know," Riley spat. "I had to get them out of here, and Hazel looked distraught as it was. And… I just don't want to believe it's true. You couldn't possibly understand."

There was something like misery in his eyes, the bright smile wiped so suddenly off his face. Annabeth knew exactly how he felt, even if she did not fully understand. He was torn up inside because he was in love. She could see it without even having to look. Riley was in love with Nico. In love with a boy he thought was a murderer.

**A/N: I have no idea where this is going, but I know I want it to move very fast. I don't want this to be another 20 chapter story. Maybe just ten or eleven. Any suggestions? **

**Riley's just been a character stuck in my head for, like, three months. So I decided to write him in here. **


	5. Chapter 5

_When Piper showed up on his doorstep, Percy thought he was dreaming. In Elysium, most of his dreams were pleasant, filled with the faces of his friends, the sound of their laughter. But the way Piper was flickering in and out of view made it clear that this was not a dream. She was really there, though he couldn't tell for how long. There was something very inconsistent about it, like she was holding on to her life with all she had. She had one foot in Elysium and one in the world of the living. _

_"Hey," she said. _

_"Hey," Percy echoed. "I guess this is about Nico?"_

_Piper's eyes darkened and she nodded. "He cut my throat."_

_Oh gods. "Are you sure?"_

_"I was there, idiot. It was my throat." Piper heaved a sigh, her body briefly flickering out of view. "And there's no mistaking Nico di Angelo. He's just… unique… like that."_

_Percy might have felt crushed a week ago. Heck, a week ago he wouldn't have believed it. But now all he could do was let out an enraged scream and pull at his hair with white-knuckled fingers. Rage burned in his stomach like drakon poison. If he was alive, he might have gone right up to Nico and run him through, but the dead couldn't do that. Not to the living. _

_"I'm going to kill him," he said anyways. Piper almost laughed. _

_"Believe me," she muttered. "I'm going to do it myself." Another flicker in and out of Percy's reality. "I've got to go. I guess that son of Apollo knows what he's doing."_

_"What, Riley?"_

_"Yeah. Him." With that, Piper was gone, her form completely evaporated from Percy's world. Having her gone made him feel more alone than ever. And he hadn't even asked her to send Annabeth his love. _

~O~O~O~O~

After Annabeth found Piper, Thalia did her best to be nice to Nico. She tried to pretend that nothing was wrong. Maybe she hadn't really seen Nico's eyes flash red, or maybe it had been a trick of the light, or maybe she was just seeing things because she was grieving. But she knew that wasn't true. Everything she was telling herself… _those_ were the lies. The truth was that Nico di Angelo was a lying, cheating, evil _traitor_. _Traitor, traitor, traitor_, her mind sang. _Shut up_, she shot back. Her mind listened.

"Are you all right?" The voice was Nico's. Thalia tensed and then forced herself to relax.

"I'm fine," she lied. "Just… I… miss Percy."

Nico nodded, something like real hurt flashing in his eyes. "Yeah," he said. "Me too."

_Stop it, Thalia,_ her mind snapped irritably. _You can't feel sorry for a murderer_.

"How are _you_ holding up?" she forced out. Nico seemed genuinely surprised, but, of course, that could have been faked.

"Decently," he said. There was something clipped about the word, something that made Thalia nervous. To compensate, she brushed some hair away from her eyes, tucking it securely behind her ear.

"Good," she said. "I hope you'll excuse my behavior these past few days. I've been, ah, _distant_. I'm very sorry."

Nico's eyebrows shot up. "Oh? I hadn't noticed." His tone was saccharine, dripping with poorly concealed malice. Thalia could see it now—_sense_ it. Every word was a warning to stay away or die. Thalia almost shivered, but she clamped her hands down on her elbows to prevent it, hugging her arms close. She hoped it looked like impatience, not fear.

"Yeah. I've been doing it to everyone, and I just thought I'd apologize. I guess…" She feigned holding back tears with the back of her hand. "You're a son of the Big Three, like Percy is—was—and I guess I'm taking it out on you a lot more."

"Oh…" Nico seemed deceptively quiet. Then he smiled. "I'm glad you don't hate me."

"I thought you hadn't noticed." Instantly, Thalia wished she could bite the words back, but Nico didn't seem fazed. Only his eyes flashed for a moment, dangerous and cold.

"I didn't. I just… I _assumed_ everyone hated me."

"You saved our lives," Thalia said. Her voice was so robotic she barely recognized it. But, forcing another smile, she added, "I don't think any of us could hate you."

Walking away was one of the hardest things Thalia had ever done. Turning her back on Nico was like turning her back on a monster with drawn swords. But she had to. In turning away from Nico, she put herself directly in line with the cabins, with _his_ cabin. If she could find something—evidence—that proved Nico was guilty, she could save more innocent people. She could make sure what happened to Piper wouldn't happen again. She had to try.

Nico was gone by the time Thalia reached his cabin. A sweep of her eyes told her he was in the arena, fighting her brother, laughing with him. Quickly, before anyone could see her, she opened the door and ducked into the cabin, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Cabin Thirteen was dark and cold. Hazel's bed was first, the sheets displaced from her constant nightmares. Nico's bed was behind a partial wall, neat and untouched. It looked like it had never been slept in. Ever. Next to the bed was a dresser with a drawer that, when Thalia pulled it out, opened a hidden door in the wall. It wasn't behind a bookshelf, Thalia thought disappointedly. They were always behind bookshelves in the movies. The room beyond was lit by flickering, heatless candles. Thalia pushed onwards into the chilly space, shivering.

"Oh my gods…"

The room was filled with ancient books of dark magic. Every wall was a bookshelf lined with them. Cupboards above the bookshelves held an alchemist's treasure trove—venoms of all kinds, lethal and nonlethal plants, strange and common creatures, metals, gems, fine, glittery powders made of what looked like crushed drakon scales. Clay beads and objects lay strewn across a large, wooden worktable, Greek letters carved carefully into them. One was half blue, half red, and it _called_ out to Thalia as she neared the table. Cautiously, she picked it up. It was warm in her hand. It read: _Thalia Grace_ on one side. _Poison_ on the other. So it was poison meant only for her. How did Nico plan to administer it? By dropping it into her drink? Horrified, she put the bead down and backed away, nearly crashing into a stack of papers. The top one fell into her hands.

_Percy Jackson__, Annabeth Chase, Thalia Grace, Jason Grace, __Piper McLean__, Leo Valdez (useful), Riley (useful?), Hazel Levesque (not an immediate threat)…_

The list went on and on. Thalia gripped it in trembling hands, hesitating for only a moment before running out of the door and out of the cabin, desperate to find Annabeth and Riley. She knew they were the only people who could help her now. They were the only people who would believe her.

**A/N: Suggestions? How do you all like this so far?**


End file.
